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Absolute best speaker setup for under 1.5k USD
Oct 12, 2022 at 11:38 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 20
Pumpo

Pumpo

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Hello all,

I am looking to get into speakers, but have no idea where to start, I am in need of a complete setup (I.E Audio interface, cables, stands) and am wondering what the best setup I could get for $1.5k is.

Near field monitors are my main target right now due to my room acoustics

Thanks for the help
-pumpo
 
Oct 12, 2022 at 12:00 PM Post #4 of 20
This is the setup I have been looking at, But I assumed I could get better value if I bought everything independently (if its anything like building a PC where prebuilt bundles usually are the cheapest combo that works)
 
Oct 12, 2022 at 12:31 PM Post #9 of 20
Not sure if these would be good in near field, but I'm considering Acoustic Energy AE1, active standmount loudspeakers, for myself.
No freals. Just the drivers and Class A amps on both units, no streaming, no DAC, no BT. Just connect your source or pre-amp with RCA or XLR balanced.
I've heard them only for five minutes, and not in ideal situation, but want to have a serious listening, as they sounded VERY good in those five minutes!
 
Oct 12, 2022 at 12:37 PM Post #10 of 20
vmiguel said:
Not sure if these would be good in near field, but I'm considering Acoustic Energy AE1, active standmount loudspeakers, for myself.
No freals. Just the drivers and Class A amps on both units, no streaming, no DAC, no BT. Just connect your source or pre-amp with RCA or XLR balanced.
I've heard them only for five minutes, and not in ideal situation, but want to have a serious listening, as they sounded VERY good in those five minutes!
Click to expand...
Those do look pretty nice, I would still need a Audio interface (something cheap like the focusrite scarlett 2i2) to plug into no?
 
Oct 12, 2022 at 1:13 PM Post #11 of 20
Pumpo said:
Those do look pretty nice, I would still need a Audio interface (something cheap like the focusrite scarlett 2i2) to plug into no?
Click to expand...
What would be your source? A PC?
These loudspeakers only accept an analog signal. So if you're using anything digital as source, yes, you would need a DAC (or audio interface) do convert the digital signal to analog.
I would look into DAC in the 100€ (or $) as minimum. Something like a Topping D10s should be good enough for starters.
 
Oct 12, 2022 at 1:14 PM Post #12 of 20
vmiguel said:
What would be your source? A PC?
These loudspeakers only accept an analog signal. So if you're using anything digital as source, yes, you would need a DAC (or audio interface) do convert the digital signal to analog.
I would look into DAC in the 100€ (or $) as minimum. Something like a Topping D10s should be good enough for starters.
Click to expand...
Sounds good, As I said im new to speakers and don't quite know how things work, thanks for the pointers
 
Oct 12, 2022 at 3:58 PM Post #13 of 20
My favorite low budget setup so far:
  • Dali Spektor 1 (small, passive speakers with fantastic imaging, tonal balance and musicality, subwoofer helpful but surprisingly not missed), haven't tried the bigger Spektor 2
  • SMSL AD18 (small, cheap DAC/preamp/headamp/speaker amp with remote, subwoofer out, Bluetooth) - there's a version without sub out, though. It measures poorly and can produce a nasty beep when changing sample rates, but it does sound lovely to me despite me usually going for Schiit multibit DACs and being wary of class D amps. Shows me what's possible. Also tried the Loxjie A30, liked it less for speakers, but better for headphones.
  • IsoAcoustics ISO-130 isolation stands (two heights, can be angled) for placement on a desk. I don't think I've tried the speakers without them, IsoAcoustics is great and this helped get them to ear height on my desk.
  • iFi iSilencer USB noise treatment for good measure, possibly optional
  • 12 AWG oxygen free copper speaker wire (i.e. nothing special)
  • MediaBridge banana plugs (solid connection, convenient to use, nothing fancy)
I'm still floored by what this humble setup can do. I immediately loved the speakers when I tried them with a considerably pricier XTZ Edge A2-300 power amp, speakers placed on my floor standers (Wharfedale EVO 4.4). I'm a sucker for imaging and the Dali deliver, surpassing any other speakers I have heard at home, including the EVO 4.4. Later I tried them on my desk and an invisible Carla Bruni and Billie Eilish were clearly singing right in front of me. Mesmerizing.
I was also surprised that I didn't miss a subwoofer with them despite them being tiny. I'd still want one to go full range and am not sure what a good budget pick is. I love my Rythmik F12G and F12G-SE, so a Rythmik L12 would probably do a great job. In my kitchen I'm running a very cheap 8" Yamaha sub, but it doesn't have its own crossover or phase adjustment, that comes with pricier models. Happens to pair well with the satellites it came with, so there it's fine. And the AD18 doesn't have settings for crossover and phase, either, just a volume controlled full range mono output.

Here are a bunch of very small speakers I tried. I was tempted to also keep the Klipsch, but the Dali absolutely had to stay. I was hoping to find something better than my satellites for the kitchen, but it's actually better to not produce bass between the counter top and hanging shelfs, it turns out.

20210813_154540.jpg
 
Last edited:
Oct 12, 2022 at 4:09 PM Post #14 of 20
Forgot to mention: I have a Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 2nd Gen, purely to record S/PDIF with, and it doesn't work reliably at 24/192, and it's basically guaranteed to give me a blue screen of death if I unplug it without sending the computer to standby first. Nasty. Will avoid them in the future.
 
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